Corvette Funfest 2011: 1968 Le Mans Corvette #4

In 1972, the Dave Heinz-Bob Johnson racing partnership campaigned this 1968 Corvette at Le Mans – though officially not a “factory” effort, a little behind the scenes help from Chevrolet in the form of an L-88 427 engine and M-22 “Rock Crusher” transmission helped make things possible. Nothing is ever easy in racing, though – an incident in practice sent the car over a banner and into a wall, resulting in damage that the team thrashed to repair overnight, fixing the front end with tape and rivets to be ready for the race the next day.

The team finished 7th in class and 15th overall at Le Mans that year, and the car went on to finish third at the 1973 24 Hours of Daytona, and earned poll position for the 12 Hours of Sebring in that same year. Today, the car is part of the Mid America Motorworks MY Garage collection, and has an estimated value of $800,000.

A plexiglass deflector runs across the driver's side of the hood

Here's a feature modern Corvettes lack - A spare tire!

Small license plate lights are positioned on the doors and decklid to illuminate the competition numbers at night